When the Day Met the Night
by Pennibear
Summary: Love is complicated. Or at least... it appears to be for both Nico and Will. From the time Gaea had risen, Nico had been infatuated with the son of Apollo. And Gods, how had Will never noticed Nico before a certain incident in the infirmary? [ Its gonna be a short, drabblish type of thing but... its full of cute, racey and tense moments. ]
1. The Moon fell in Love with the Sun

**There will be four parts to this story. It'll be like taking track of their relationship progress I guess. To when each one first realized their crush, to how they cope with it, and finally the fourth chapter will be them admitting it to each other. And perhaps even a little friskiness. Hence why its rated T.**

**So, this is taking place after Nico is walking away from telling Percy of his crush. Also bear with me, I'm not too great at third person. qvq**

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><p><span><em>- beginning -<em>

In all his life, he couldn't believe he'd actually done that. His heart was still thumping hard against his chest as he walked proudly away from a dumbfounded Percy Jackson. Though it wasn't because he still liked him or anything — sea-brains were just not his type — but because he'd actually come out to someone. It was weird, like admitting some part of you that was supposed to be secret and hidden. Then again he couldn't not tell him after all those years of loathing. Loathing himself, to be exact.

And it wasn't like he should feel ashamed. Before he had come to terms with his sexuality, he'd noticed a few things. Like some, or rather a lot, of people in Camp Half-Blood were couples. And those couples were of the same sex. It had bewildered Nico at first, but now it didn't bother him as much.

And then there was Will. Nico was forced out of his troubling array of thoughts as he stepped towards the son of Apollo, his blond hair tousled about. Nico's stomach churned in that nervous way it did when he was looking forward to something but despising it at the same time. Anticipation? Probably. As well as a hint of nervousness.

And ever so rudely he was jostled out of his thoughts as a rather impatient and annoyed Will fixed him with two brightly colored blue eyes. "So, what was that all about?"

Nico began to shuffle his feet at the expression on the surfer-like boy's face. Jealousy? No. That couldn't possibly be it. They'd only met yesterday anyways, in the heat of battle. All the while Will had probably seen the worst of Nico. He had practically told the healer to let a crazed guy to kill himself in all his roman-comet glory. And he'd also worn a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt while cutting down dog headed monsters. Brilliant. So much for first impressions.

"Just catching up," he finally replied after thinking long and hard on the question. He couldn't possibly tell Will that he'd had a silly school boy's crush on Percy and had just told him... in front of his girlfriend. That made him smile. At least the air was cleared and he could finally consider Percy and Annabeth his friends.

He heard the fifteen year old mutter something under his breath that went unheard to Nico, but dismissed it as Will poked him in the chest. "Right, well. You'll have to put that all aside for now. Catching up can wait, but your health predicament can not."

He was reminded about the deal they had made. Three days, and he had '_Sworn on the River Styx, and all that!_'. Curse him, and his respect on promises. Why had he made that oath again? Oh, right. Because he tended to put himself in weird situations all the time. Like almost become a shadow, or in Will's words, a pile of dark goop.

"So... three days?" Nico began hesitantly. His feathery black hair spread across his cheeks, which were beginning to turn a nervous pale pink color. And for the second time that day, little skeletal butterflies seemed to flutter about in his stomach. All because of a son of Apollo. Well, a rather handsome son of Apollo. You just had to ignore his somewhat annoyingly stubborn attitude.

"Yep. Then you should be looking and feeling much better; but I still don't want you doing that underworld-y stuff again. You should wait for a while. Doctor's orders, n' all," Will said in a commanding voice. It seemed to suit him. No doubt he'd had to use that voice on many of his other patients. That made his stomach flipflop as he thought, _so I'm just another patient_...?

That annoyed him in two different ways. One, he didn't know why it mattered so much if he was or wasn't. And two, having a sun baked know-it-all doctor commanding him around... that just was not how he rolled.

Nico's brows furrowed as he replied in an agitated tone, "I don't need you to babysit me and tell me what to do."

At least he was being honest. He didn't need to be told what to do. Believe it or not, this 15 year old had seen many a-things in his short life. Some of which would surprise any mature adult. Having lived off of pomegranate seeds and trudged through Tartarus itself, Nico thought he could handle himself. Then again he seemed to do stupid underworld magic when he couldn't afford to. Maybe he did need someone to keep him out of trouble.

And apparently Will had suspected as much as he answered with a stubborn, "Nonetheless, Nico, you'll be spending three days in here. Sworn on the River Styx as I recall. Which will be great for your health complexion, since you look like a vampire that got too much sun."

He glanced down at his tied posterior. His face was probably gaunt and sunken, tired and dull. He had after all hauled a 40 foot statue half way across the world. And it was just because of that reason he was here. Luck or not, Nico wasn't sure.

And so he soundlessly agreed to Will ushering him in with strong hands — which wasn't at all making Nico's heart thump wildly — and placing him next to a hospital bed. As soon as they reached it, he flinched from the physical contact and shoved him away. Not gently, but not harshly. He didn't want to hurt Will's feelings, but he couldn't stand contact.

Then he allowed his eyes to wander the welcoming and sunny hospital. Each bed was sectioned off by thin white curtains. It would have been complete with bird lilt in the air, but alas, the only thing sounding were the desperate groans of pain from other demigods. Nico could secretly feel bits of life flickering in and out here and there.

His hair rose on the back of his neck at that. He'd felt so many people die and fade from life. But he'd never gotten used to it, as much as others may believe or as much as he attempted to convince himself otherwise.

And Will seemed to realize too because his face suddenly turned flustered and contorted. "I'm so sor-" he began, but Nico quickly cut him off with a wave of his hand. The last thing he needed was _more_ babying.

"Nothing to apologize for."

"But-"

"I need to sleep. Night."

"At least let me-"

"Goodnight," that came out a little more harsher than expected. Nico was already wrapping himself with the hospital bed sheets and dared a peek at Will. The freckled boy had a hurt look across his tanned face, but he quickly scrunched up and sniffed as if to say, _Fine, don't say I didn't warn you though.  
><em>  
>And with that Nico found himself instantly drifting into sleep. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he finally closed his eyes, but the wave of unconscious was almost instantaneous. He was thrust into a sleep that left him sweating and his heart quickening with fear. Nightmares were one thing, but demigod nightmares were another.<p>

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><p>What Nico didn't realize was a strong pair of arms hauling him from the hospital bed to a more confined part of the hospital. He was placed down gently against the sheets and tucked in with gentle hands.<p>

Will smiled to himself as he gazed down at the sleeping form of Nico di Angelo. That kid was something, a real piece of work. He chuckled to himself merrily, before inwardly cursing and peering at the son of Hades. Though he didn't seem to stir, thank the Gods. Seems like he was a deep sleeper.

And with one last glance, Will Solace peeled from the specially labeled room and began to tend to his others patients, not as important as Nico, but patients that needed his attention. He had work to do, and he needed to get done with them as soon as possible so he could focus on the skinny boy sleeping soundly in the room next door.

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><p><span><em>- first day -<em>

He woke to something warm pressed against his forehead, which felt unbearably hot and clammy. Though his subconscious knew what it was, Nico dared to peek behind lidded eyes at the concerned expression of Will. He just didn't know when to let up, did he?

"Wha're... doing?" Nico mumbled. His expression bore that of sleep as he was pulled into the world of waking. He could feel his clothes, drenched with sweat, clinging to his body uncomfortably. Clothes were definitely not made for being worn wet, Nico decided.

"You're running a fever. Started mumbling in your sleep and stuff. It was kind of scary because for a minute you wouldn't wake up," replied the concentrated voice of Will.

It began to slowly register on Nico's drowsy state that Will's hand was still pressed to his forehead. That pulled him awake. It was as if somebody had shot him with and extra dose of caffeine. The younger boy propped himself up and instantly whacked the older boy's hand from his face. He did _not_ like unwanted touching, especially when that person was both handsome and so _close_. Not to mention the weird bubbly feeling being resurrected in his stomach.

"I'm just trying to help," came the stubborn protest he'd expected to hear.

Instead of replying though Nico pulled himself up to a sitting position and looked out of the curtains. Through the thick shadows, he could see it was probably around Midnight. He'd slept for a while.

His expression turned even more confused when he didn't recognize the bed he was laying in. He hadn't been laying here before when he fell asleep, had he? He glanced at his surroundings with a fuzzed vision and his breath hitched. Had Will... carried him here? While he was sleeping?

"Whoa there, Death Boy. I know you slept for a whole 17 hours and all, but you're still out of sorts," came that annoying concerned voice again. Why did he sound like he cared so much for his well-being anyways?

Well... despite him apparently carrying him to a place that... was confined. He was surprised that he couldn't hear the groans of the others, or the pained souls drifting in and out of near death. If he wasn't so busy admiring Will's valiant effort, he would be blushing from head to toe. Especially after...

Nico ignored the _doctors _persistent voice and hauled himself from the bed. Instantly he regretted that decision because his head pounded in protest. It was like a million drums had suddenly started an offbeat chorus, and there was no stopping it. His stomach swam and he could feel the contents of yesterday's breakfast slush around - or the day before yesterday's breakfast. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a decent meal, to be honest.

"See?"

Nico huffed stubbornly and pressed his feet against the cold floor. That seemed to feel nice. He could already feel his headache decrease as he let the cool floor chill his overheated body. "I'd rather not be cooped up and in bed all the time, Solace."

Will gave an offended expression towards his direction, and Nico felt himself bristle. What had he said _this_ time? It seemed that everything he said upset the other demigod. But apparently Nico had only imagined it because it was soon replaced by an exasperated sigh and snort before he was handed some liquid. "Drink up. I know ambrosia or nectar can't help you, so this will do."

Reluctantly, Nico grasped the cup and began to drink it hesitantly. And before he knew it, he had finished the whole drink in a split second. Warmth spread through his chest and continued throughout his entire body. Visibly he relaxed and let out a content breath. Not only had it quenched his thirst, but it had calmed his nerves. Never before had Unicorn Draught tasted so good.

However, Nico was pulled out of fond memories by the _tsking_ of Will. He'd almost forgot the shaggy blond was still there, watching him with avid interest. His sudden voice made him jump as well, staring at Will with an incomprehensible gaze.

"What was your nightmare about?"

His question took Nico aback. His... nightmare? He'd honestly almost forgotten about it. That brought heat to his cheeks. It hadn't... exactly been a nightmare. Well, to Nico it had been both that and a joke. When he had quickly fallen asleep the other night, Nico had found himself accompanied with vivid dreams of the son of Apollo. More heat rushed to his face as he recalled a chiseled chest, him only wearing scrubs. Placing him down with a warm look on his already heart melting expression.

"Well?" he asked again impatiently. His blue eyes seemed to be boring into Nico, and for a moment he was afraid he'd be able to pick his mind and dissect what he had _really_ dreamed about. But the rational part of his brain calmed his previously building heart rate.

His eyes quickly averted and he tried to crush the horrible warm feeling spreading from his chest, to his ears, and finally his face. Nico felt like it had been lit on fire. And his inwardly accusing finger was pointed at Will, for more than one reason.

"N-nothing," Nico stuttered at Will. How could he tell him, possibly a heterosexual guy, that he was having homosexual fantasies about him? Just no.

And what Will said next took Nico by even more surprise. "You know... I meant what I said, on that hill. When Octavion attempted to... well, you know," Will began awkwardly. "I meant every word of it. Nobody is pushing you away Nico, you're pushing them away. I just... think it'd be easier on you if you tried to share your load of problems. I'll listen as best as I can and help. I can't promise I know what it felt like, but..."

Nico's dark, onyx colored eyes widened considerably as he listened to Will's babbling. "Solace...?"

That seemed to hit a nerve as Will shot him a fiery glare and huffed out, "And stop calling me Solace. My name is will, I'll have you know."

Nico felt his heart thumping madly against his ribcage. That would be weird. He'd always felt a need to call him Solace. Maybe it was because Will was so insistent on being Nico's friend. It made him feel less attached than he already felt he was. Nonetheless, Nico ignored the oddity of it and replied, "Alright then... Will."

That made the tanned boy smile, which caused Nico's mouth to widen as well. Before he could correct himself, he felt his mouth stretching up awkwardly. He didn't smile usually, so it felt pretty weird and foreign on his face. He didn't regret it though. He genuinely smile at Will. And praise the Gods, it had played in his favor. Because Will's smile became even more dazzling than it already somehow was.

"You should smile more often," Will said with a cheeky grin after a bit of awkward silence and idiotic grinning.

Nico's cheeks collected the heat that had been on his face from earlier. So instead of continuing this subject, he reverted to his nightmares. Somehow talking about his smiles was much worse than that. "I'll tell you about my Nightmares, someday. I just... don't want to talk about them now," he sighed, clearly pushing aside the whole smiling business.

Will looked like he wanted to argue, then apparently thought better of it and drew back with a nod. "I can work with that, Death Boy."

His nickname was followed by a disgruntled hiss from a possibly abashed looking Nico.

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><p>Will fidgeted with the medicine in the cabinets. His brow furrowed as he thought back on his and Nico's conversation earlier. He had babbled an embarrassing amount, wanting to grasp their friendship even more. He found Nico interesting, and he didn't want to let that go. Nico made him happy, after all.<p>

Will sighed and thought again about their whole nightmare talk. Nico had been flushed and twisting, turning with little grunts of what seemed to be pain. But his reaction to trying to talk about it... well, that was new.

If Will hadn't known any better... it had seemed that Nico was blushing about a nightmare. But that was just silly, right? But of course he didn't know any better. Because he was painfully slow and realizing his own feelings lying dormant.

* * *

><p><span><em>- second day -<em>

His second day was even more tiring than the first. Too many times had he accidentally touched Will, brushed fingers or bumped into his chest. Nico was beginning to stumble around flustered by the time lunch had arrived, and he was feeling rather tired. Well, tired of the embarrassing things and tired for real.

Who knew that encountering a cute son of Apollo so many times, in so many compromising situations could make a guy so flustered?

Will did not give him a chance to rest, however. He pestered Nico nonstop with questions and medicine. And by then Nico felt like he would either become a sleep deprived zombie, or smack somebodies ghost all the way back to Tartarus. The latter wouldn't be too hard, since he'd done it before.

The voices seemed to fade into the background after a few seconds of pondering shadow traveling all the way back to his cabin. Actually... everything seemed to fade out for a moment, literally. Had he gone to sleep without knowing it? His vision clouded and his body felt discombobulated.

Nico felt a hand grasp at him frantically as Nico slouched over. He was jolted out of his fuzzy vision. His head had previously felt heavy and his eyes even began to sag. But the touch was like electricity; it shocked him back to reality. He looked up to find himself being clutched — _closely_ — to Will Solace's tanned and rather athletic chest.

His first reaction worked almost at once. He found himself pushing hard against the other boy's chest ad staring at him like Will had grown an extra head. He could feel his heart speed up, he could feel the butterflies in his stomach once again, and he could most certainly feel a painful squeeze in his chest.

Nico managed to splutter, "What are you doing?!"

"You were doing more underworld-y stuff again, Angelo. You were melting into the shadows again - what was I _supposed_ to do?" Will snapped. His jaw clenched, which was possibly the most attractive thing Nico had seen him do yet, and he recoiled angrily.

"Oh, I don't know? Maybe - _lets see_ - try and not touch the socially inept kid?" Nico hissed back before he could catch his harsh tone. He didn't want to snap at Will like that, but Will was making it so... easy. He felt his heart rate speed up again and he flinched at the feeling. Why did his chest feel so tight? It hurt.

"This is about touching?" Will growled back. "Unbelievable. I had at least thought that maybe I had gotten through to you. That maybe we were finally friends."

Nico's face scrunched up. He was being unbelievable? He clenched his fists angrily and shot Will a withering stare. "What did you expect? For us to go hopping around in a field of flowers _holding hands_? That we'd suddenly be friends and it'd be all sunshine and rainbows?"

By now a few doctors and patients eyes had turned on them. A few even seemed to be walking over to investigate. They had probably been raising their voices and disturbing others, but it wasn't their place to be nosy. That agitated the hell out of Nico, but he simply pushed it to the back of his mind. Right now he had more pressing matters.

"I just want to help-"

"Well don't try."

"But I just think-"

"Solace."

"Can't you see all I want to do is-"

"_No_," Nico's harsh voice cut off. He had shouted it this time, "_Just don't_."

Will's jaw clenched even more than it had before, if that was even possible. He fixed Nico with his eyes that threatened to drown him in a sea of blue. The were sharp and looked... almost emotional. Deafening silence followed for what seemed like hours. Neither moved, neither removed the death glare from one another.

Nico would have smiled if not for the bone crushing atmosphere. He took immense triumph in finally shutting Will up about his health. But Will wouldn't say anything, and Nico began to fidget nervously. In fact he could feel his cheeks begin to redden as they continued to stare at each other through the unspoken tension. Was Will's cheeks flushed, or was it just his imagination?

The raven haired boy shuffled his feet awkwardly to attempt at breaking said tension. Hades he wished the shadows would just engulf him already, instead of Will stubbornly holding on. As much as he liked trumping Will, he didn't like the way his smile had turned into a thin line. Or the way he was staring at Nico, as if he'd done something horrible.

His chest constricted tightly as Will turned sharply and vanished into the storage room without even a word. Just like that.

Why hadn't he flung an insult over his shoulder? Had what Nico said upset him that much? And now that he thought back on their heated argument, he realized he probably had said things he hadn't meant to.

Nico's expression tightened and twisted to that of concern and panic. He couldn't deal with Will being upset with _him_. He just _couldn't_.

Nico pushed past the other people that had gathered to watch their argument with interest — he remembered a few Aphrodite girls had a smirk on their faces — but he didn't care. He shoved them all aside and shot them a glare that sent most running for the hills. Annoyingly they hesitated before quietly disappearing to their own activities.

He turned back to where Will had vanished and raised a hand to push open the door. Will was the only person who seemed to make Nico smile, at least a little bit. The only person to put up with his sulking mood. If he lost all of that, just because of what he'd said... He couldn't stand it.

He felt that suffocating feeling in his chest again and furrowed his brows. He hadn't honestly realized Will had meant... that much to him.

The desire to rekindle their friendship and apologize was even stronger than before. And so, the son of Hades pushed into the room and grabbed a handful of Will's shirt. He forcefully pulled the sulking boy — wasn't that a change of personality for him — out of the supply closet as Will gave indignant spluttering sounds. Nico ignored them.

That was it. Even if Will was a stubborn, overly tan son of Apollo, Nico couldn't deny he had a crush on him. And he would do anything to help their friendship, even if Will never wanted a relationship in the future. He wasn't Percy... he was much better. And according to Will, he was all _Nico's_ for one more day. Might as well make it worth the while.

* * *

><p>Will wanted so badly to shout at Nico. He wanted to push him away in spite. If Nico hadn't wanted to be friends, and if he hadn't wanted him to touch him for Gods sake, then he should have said so in the first place.<p>

But despite Will's anger, he didn't push away for whatever reason. He just continued to let Nico guide him towards the supply cabinet he'd previously been working on. That confused him on a number of levels.

He spotted Nico giving him a little peek. His nose wrinkled up and he let out a huff and rolled his eyes before positioning Will beside the counter. His hands hesitantly let go of Will's now wrinkled shirt — he'd ironed it this morning, seriously — and looked away.

"Sorry."

Oh gods. Had he heard right? Had Nico just apologized to _him_? He shouldn't have done this in spite of their argument earlier but... he laughed. And soon he found himself wheezing uncontrollably while clutching his sides. Maybe they could possibly be friends, and that made Will very happy.

* * *

><p><strong>So. I'll leave their conversation to your imagination. c;<strong>  
><strong>Of course they made up - but they haven't exactly faced their feelings for one another as of yet. Also I'd like to point out in my version Nico is about almost 15, and Will is about almost 16. So just to clear the air, in case you guys felt weird about the whole racey dream Nico had.<strong>

**And sorry if it wasn't all that fluffy. The next chapter will definitely be, with a little big sister Reyna [ I totally support their adorable bro / sis relationship ] and Nico confessing his feelings for Will to her. Then possibly Will's conclusion on his feelings. I imagine that Will and Nico would start off awkward and prickly towards each other, and then slowly over time begin to unwind.**

**Anyways. This is only the first chapter. Look out for number two in a few days or so. Rate and review, tell me what I should correct and how to correct them! This is actually my first human related fan fiction, so yeah. JHhjgfvhjgb.**


	2. Promise You Won't Break my Little Heart

**Hello again! I've finished the second chapter, and chapter three will be like... a continuation in Will's p.o.v. Chapter two and three are like a two parter, in all honesty. But chap. 3 maybe be posted tomorrow or the day after. Depends on how much this story is actually liked.**

**Its filled with some Nico and Will tensity, because Olymus knows they'll have that tension until they confess their feelings. And big sister Reyna. And romance movies. And ice cream. Heck yeeeah.**

**Also I'm super angry because I've had to re-edit this story five times. Literally, FanFiction, get yo' stuff together.  
>So yeah. Sorry if there are any horrible spelling errors because... I got terribly sloppy after the fifth time of re-reading.<strong>

**R&R please! If you don't, I cant get any better at this. c:**

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><p>Pain. Stinging, agonizing pain. In more than one sense anyways.<p>

Two long years had painfully dragged by. And as much as Nico chastised himself for it, he hadn't gained any romantic progress with Will. Either the guy's head was too full of sunlight, or he was just downright dense. Which was saying something, because Will was always so cheeky and knowledgeable.

More than once he had found himself openly flirting with him, and more than once it had ended with Will waving him goodbye and Nico sulking off with overly heated cheeks.

He cursed under his breath and managed to dislodge an annoying pebble with his foot. Romance never seemed to favor him. Or apparently Cupid — who he most certainly _despised_ — was trying his best to make Nico's love life a living hell.

And not only that, but it was like everything else was teasing him. More and more often Nico would find himself getting hurt and having to see Will for his wounds. Well... he would admit to maybe '_accidentally'_ tripping a few times to see him but... that was besides the point.

The point was Nico had all but given up. Over the long nights of summer break at Camp Half-Blood, he'd spent enough time by alone to convince himself that Will just never would return his feelings. And starting next year when he returned, he would try to scout out a _rational_ crush and just be really close friends with the healer.

His eyes narrowed and he clenched and unclenched his fists angrily. If only he wasn't so attracted to him, then it would be easier. Why was Will so damn hot all the time again? Oh right, he was the son of Apollo. How silly of Nico to wonder.

Inwardly he smacked himself and began to walk quicker. He shouldn't be thinking about this, not in his current predicament. The sooner he got this done, the better - and besides, his chest was starting to really hurt. Gods, what had that stupid Drakon done? Had its claws been tipped in poison?

Earlier that evening Nico had hunted down a rampaging Drakon. The creature had somehow managed to stampede the forest and tear up everything in his path. Apparently he was a tad bigger than the normal sized ones, and he had already had a tree nymph for breakfast. That was when Nico stepped in.

And on that particular quest, he had been embarrassingly surprised by the Drakon. The monster managed to tear a nasty gash in his chest. He could feel that it had opened up a wound that he had received from the lord of flea bags himself. It had healed pretty decently, but it seriously hurt when reopened. Bad.

He recalled facing that stupid mutt on his shadow jumping fiasco. Reyna and him had encounter Ly.. Leo... Lyn... well, it didn't matter if he remembered the name or not. The half wolf half man lunatic wasn't that important to remember, anyways.

Nico winced from both memories. His troubling thoughts about Will faltered and instead he was forced to direct his attention to the stinging pain across his abdomen. It pulsed angrily and he had to clutch his arm over the wound so it wouldn't soak his entire shirt in blood.

His feet didn't hesitate to bring him to the more-than-once visited clinic. He knew Will wouldn't be there, but every time he found himself approaching the steps his heart would speed up incredibly and his cheeks would flush. Coincidentally, this did not seem to help the painful gash he'd received.

With an agitated face, Nico rapped furiously on the front door with his fist and waited for someone to answer. It would most likely be the ditsy girl who was always shadowing Will when he was here. Every time Nico appeared with wounds, her smile grew even wider than the last. If Nico didn't know any better, he'd think she was crushing on him. But then that would be absolutely silly. Nobody ever crushed on the Lord of Death's son.

He didn't have to wait long, thankfully, as some feet rushed to the door and clumsy hands seemed to wrestle with the door handle. This little reaction felt oddly familiar to Nico, like he had practiced it many times before. He tried to pinpoint it. The hurried stumble of footsteps. The almost anticipated fumble with the handle...

Realization hit him like a freight train only after the door swung open to show a familiar face. An overly happy and muscular looking tall blond standing there. His hair was tousled perfectly around his face. The sun seemed to appraise it as well and clung to every strand, making it glimmer golden-orange.

Will seemed to shine a beam of light right at him, blue eyes, freckles, and all. Nico stopped himself from giving the nemesis of his heart a once over and only managed to splutter in surprise. "I thought you weren't back yet - everyone else - the camps not even - _why_?"

Nonsense babbled out of Nico's mouth and that only encouraged the _doctor_ — as Will loved to call himself — to smirk further. If a smile could be blinding and melt you to goop right there, Will's would win by a landslide. Literally. If his didn't win, Nico would be forced to take out all the other competitors in a landslide. Whether that landslide were dead zombies or skeletons, that was to be decided.

There was a long silence as Will began to size him up. Apparently he hadn't seen the crimson stained shirt before, but now he began to recoil in surprise and horror. "Nico, what in the name of Hades have you done to yourself this time?" he barked angrily. "I leave you for _one_ summer, and this happens?!"

Nico hardly had a chance to reply as Will gently but firmly pulled him into the infirmary and ushered him towards a hospital bed. The son of Hades was reminded all too achingly of his first time at this place. Will had practically done the same thing, and Nico had boiled up on the spot.

And now he wasn't any better. His body was shot with electric currents at Will's touch. Nico cursed quietly as he tried to recall exactly how he had coped with it for two years. Obviously he had to grow used to the accidental skin touching and bumping into each other again.

He had almost leaned into the touch, for goodness sake. And those lips... were they that full and delicious looking before? Nico found his mind begin to wander, and he wondered how hard it would be to turn and pin his crush against the wall.

Then his body registered exactly who was touching him and what his mind was thinking. He growled at himself angrily at his willingness — no pun intended ( okay, maybe a little ) — to jump his best friend and kiss him silly. What was he thinking? That would definitely screw up his plans for this year.

For all he knew, Will liked girls. For all he knew, Will wasn't even interested in dating if there was the off-chance of him being homosexual.

Nico flinched away from Will finally and walked the rest of the way to the hospital bed. He swung himself on the bed and hunched over. He could feel Will's eyes following his every movement but tried to push it to the back of his head. He couldn't think about those things now. Will didn't like him like that. Will was just a friend. But he desperately looked around at everything but Will, which included the rapidly fading light from the sky.

"Nico?" came the hesitant voice of Will. He sounded concerned.

He jumped and brought his eyes up to gaze at him. Will looked at him and raised an eye questioningly, and Nico suddenly realized he and been scowling while twisting his skull ring at a dizzying rate. He willed his heart to stop thumping against his rib cage and smiled sheepishly.

"F-fine. The scratch just... really... hurts," he managed. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth.

That didn't entirely work in convincing Will, but it seemed to have shut him up. Nico had half expected to prepare for more arguing, but he realized that Will was much more focused on his wound. His shirt began to feel uncomfortable as the blood was starting to dry and become stiff.

He'd almost forgot about it, but as soon as he remember it he felt the full force of its infliction. He winced at the stinging sensation and that began to fully convince Will as he rushed off to probably grab medical supplies.

A few lights flickered on in his wake to bring more light to the darkening place. Some bangs and shuffling followed, before Will showed his face again and rounded the corner, carrying aglass of liquid in one hand and a tray of supplies in the other.

Nico was surprised when he could label most of the things he was carrying; Unicorn Draught of course, a gauze, things for stitching, and some medicinal goop looking stuff. The son of Hades found himself glaring at the goop. It looked like it would sting when applied, as all wound cleaning medicine did.

"Shirt. Off. Now," came Will's startling command. It jostled him out of his thoughts on how painful it would be to... well, be less painful.

"W-what?" Nico spluttered. He was utterly surprised by Will's demand. And there went his cheeks again, flushing with heat. He guessed he probably looked like he had a fever, which probably wouldn't make Will let up.

"You heard me. You have to take your shirt off for me to be able to heal you," Will responded with a sigh of exasperation. He sounded to Nico like he was prepared to say that.

Why hadn't he realized he'd have to do that sooner? There was no way he was taking his shirt off in front of Will. It would most likely be the first time he'd ever done that. He'd honestly expected to show his bare chest to Will under more... pleasant circumstances. What would Will think? That he was still scrawny? And it probably didn't help any with his chest all scratched up. From the feel of it he could tell it was inflamed.

Will fixed him with an annoyed glare as he reached forward and grabbed at the fabric that covered his stomach. His warm fingers brushed against the skin lying there. Even if Nico mentally knew it before it happened, the surprise of the instant burning sensation still shocked him. The electricity he could deal with, but this... his breath hitched on instinct.

Will seemed to be surprised as well, because Nico saw he'd frozen in place and was staring intensely at the spot his fingers were touching. It was as if they had suddenly become glued to the very spot.

Nico's heart pattered painfully and his chest seized up tightly in that familiar little way it always did when Will was around. He could feel his face heat up even more - and did he just see the heat on Will's face or was he hallucinating? But when he glanced back for a second time the red had left and was replaced by a pale white color on Will's usually handsome and bright face. That was bad. No, that was... very, _very wrong_. Will never looked like this.

He squirmed away from his frozen in place hands and he reached down to pull the t-shirt up and over his head to snap Will out of it. As long as Will didn't look like he'd seen a ghost, Nico was alright. It took all his strength to shift his fixed gaze from the floor to Will's pale expression. He hated it when Will adopted that look, it didn't fit him.

"Well?" he snapped, unable to bear the heavy silence. "Get on with it."

Will suddenly snapped out of his trance to lean away tand grab the wretched goop looking crap. As he doused the gauze in it, his expression did not let up. If anything, it looked even more tense and sullen than it already had. It was beginning to worry him.

Nico shifted and tried not to let concern consume him, but he couldn't hold back. His voice was shakily tentative as he asked, "Will...?"

He saw the tanned boy — no, _man_, since Will had turned eighteen over the summer — jump at Nico's voice and looked at him in surprise. A wide smile spread over his face and as he leaned forward and began to clean Nico's wound. "Yeah?"

Nico was not at all convinced by the smile, not one bit. It was probably meant to be charming, but it looked so out-of-place and forced. It caused his heart to twist. Had he done something to upset Will? It had all started after... the damned shirt. If only he hadn't gotten clawed by the Drakon, he wouldn't be in this horribly awkward situation.

And Will was usually so gentle while healing wounds, but the way he was handling Nico would suggest otherwise. Nico probably winced every few seconds and after a minute of doing so he finally let out a hiss of pain and smacked Will's hand away.

Nico said through gritted teeth, "Could you possibly press any _harder_? I'm not sure the wound hurts enough."

Will peeled back in surprise. Had he not been paying attention? Gods, he was daft _sometimes_, but not that daft. Especially when he was healing someone. Especially when he was healing _Nico_. That made the blood rush to his face, but now wasn't the time to be embarrassed over a silly crush. Right now he needed to know why exactly Will was acting so strangely.

"Will... are you okay?" he asked finally in a strained voice.

The amount of time it took Will to answer felt suffocating. The air around him turned stale and he could visibly see the both of them had stopped breathing. Again he asked Will's name, and again silence followed. He counted seconds by until the silence broke.

Though Nico finally let out a breath of air when Will inhaled and replied, "Its nothing. Just... didn't get much sleep is all. I've been really busy since I got back, ya' know? Been back for a couple of days. Healing and all, cleaning, supplies... I swear I'm the only handy doctor around here. Did I mention I may be sleep deprived?"

"Twice," Nico said wryly as he pulled at the shirt that was clutched in his hand. If shirts had feelings, Nico would have been slapped.

Finally he began to size Will up with a suspicious look. Hey, he had an excuse. Will had claimed he was sleep deprived, and Nico was only seeing if his _friend_ was all right. There was nothing wrong with that, right?

Will hadn't changed too much, besides gaining a few more muscles. Then again, Nico wasn't anything to sneeze at as well. Over the two years he'd spent here, he had added on some muscles as well. Not to mention he'd grown taller and his skin looked a tiny bit healthier. Though he cursed and began to clear his wandering thoughts, delving deeper into the Will inspection.

The blonds clothes were his normal doctor scrubs, probably covering his nicely toned body and rather tight camp Half-Blood gear. Just the thought of it threatened to make Nico's mouth water, but he pushed against the urge and let out a sigh. From his frustration at the scrubs or Will, he didn't know.

"It's seriously nothing. I'm just really tired," he said stubbornly.

Supposedly, Nico's sigh had said more than words could. And thank the Gods he hadn't noticed his ogling and prodding gaze. In retrospect, it wouldn't have helped any. It probably would have caused things to be even more awkward than it already was.

"Will, that's not fair. I shared all of my problems with you a year back - remember? I even told you about..." Nico began softly, and swallowed hard. He'd told Will about his time in Tartarus before Will left for the summer. It had felt great to relieve some stress to his close comrade.

This was so out of character for him. Usually Will would be the one doing the poking and nosy detective work. If it were up to that guy, he would have bugged Nico into yelling it out. He quieted his wandering thoughts and tried again. It tasted weird on his tongue to be so... nice. _Ew_. "C'mon. You can tell me anything.. we're good friends, right?"

For a moment he saw him hesitate and felt an inkling of hope. But then Will shook his head decisively and set his lips into a stubborn, and annoying thin line. Gods. Why Nico liked him, he had no idea.

"I appreciate it Nico, but its em... nothing that can be helped," Will finally said. "I..." he began, then trailed off and shook his head furiously.

Instead he turned away and began to stitch up Nico's body. He hissed in pain and didn't reply back. It had probably been Will's plan in the first place, but he wasn't the only stubborn demigod around, and Nico would not give up that easily.

After his wound was done being stitched, he was given some Unicorn Draught and watched as Will reached to grab the bandages. All the while Nico thought about what he was about to do. It panicked him, but it wasn't the end of the world. If Will would be stubborn, Nico would have to share something as well.

He managed to breathe when he set the drink down and stared ahead at the window with a deadly expression. On the outside, he felt calm and collected. But on the inside... he could felt his stomach recoil nervously. Besides, if Nico wanted to progress any further with Will...

"That day, when I was talking to Percy and Annabeth... two years ago you asked what it was about, and I said catching up. That wasn't entirely true," Nico began. His throat felt dry, like he'd swallowed a ton of dirt. Right. He was really doing this. He couldn't stop now. Especially when Will had turned his beautiful blue eyes on him. Not to mention Will was slowly wrapping the cloth round his chest to cover the wound. Every so often, he could feel Will's fingers brush the sensitive skin and cause him to bristle.

And that's when Nico decided to continue, "When... when I was younger..." _one, two, three,_ "I had a huge crush on Percy. It's why I hated him so much. Or actually... I hated _myself_ for it. And when I highfived Annabeth, that was after I told him about it to clear the air. He wasn't awkward about it, and that's that," Nico finished. "So..."

Nico felt like he would throw up. He'd just revealed his inner most deep secret to his best friend, and readied for the worse. And god's was the waiting horrible.

Will didn't say anything as he finished covering his chest with the bandages. If it was possible... Will looked even more sulking than he did before. He also looked increasingly annoyed. And his eyes looked as if it were on fire - dangerous, blue fire.

"I see," came Will's cold reply.

That was it. Nico was sure he'd throw up. He felt like his stomach was endlessly plunging down, as if he were being thrown into the very pits of Tartarus again. That was it...? All he got was a "_I see_"?

He suddenly felt hurt and angry and he stared at will incredulously. He'd just poured his heart out."What... do you mean? I just told you - you're _so infuriating_!" he growled. "Why can't you just tell me whats bothering you already?"

Will's voice sounded strained as he stood up suddenly and opened the door. "Its late. You should get some rest, and I should as well. Bye, Nico." He gave one last curt nod before opening the door wider and setting a stone cold face of determination. If Nico didn't care for Will so much, he would have slapped him.

His face twisted in disbelief and he rose to his feet. He didn't need to be told twice to know when he wasn't wanted. Though that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. To be fair, it probably hurt even worse than the Drakon scratch. But this wound wasn't anything Will could apparently heal. It seemed he'd have to heal it on his own. Again.

He gave a rushed reply of _fine_, and hurriedly walked out of the door whilst pulling his shirt over his head. There were some swooning sounds of '_oohs_' and '_ahhs_' from a few giggling Aphrodite girls hanging about outside, but he ignored it. He was too angry and upset to care as he stormed off too his Cabin. If Will was going to be that way, fine. But Nico would _not_ be the one apologizing this time.

* * *

><p>Nico couldn't express how happy he was that Reyna had come to visit from Camp Jupitor.<p>

So there he was, storming out of the infirmary and almost about to knock aside a few satyrs when he bumped into golden Armour. His head throbbed painfully and he clutched it with a groan - seriously, how man injuries was that in two days?

"Sorr - Nico!" exclaimed an excited voice.

As Nico looked up to give a death glare, he let out a startled intake of breath. There was Reyna, in all her Roman glory. Here she was to save the day... even if she'd probably caused a major bruise on his forehead.

Unsure of whether to hug or cry, he instead chose upon telling her off and waving his hands angrily. "Where were you? No visit in five months - I thought you'd have forgotten about me! Of all the... you could have at least, you know, sent a letter or something," he finished in huffing breaths.

Reyna didn't look phased at his scolding, though. Instead, her lips tugged up into a smile and she insisted on squashing the little life left in Nico out. He was just glad she missed his tender wound that had just gotten patched up.

After she let him go, she let out a hearty laugh and smiled at him with twinkling brown eyes. "Glad to see you too, Nico."

Nico cursed with annoyance, but he couldn't express his relief. If anyone would know about heartbreak and problems, he was sure Reyna would. He remembered her longing glances at Percy or Jason. Not to mention she had proved a surprisingly good listener many times. His expression faltered when he recalled his earlier argument with Will and turned sour.

Reyna saw it and instantly grabbed his shoulders in a steel grip of concern. "Nico?" she asked hesitantly.

"Can we talk?" Nico finally growled out. His voice probably sounded flustered and high pitched. When he saw her confused face, he wondered if she thought he was actually angry at her. That made him force a smile and shake his head. "I'm not actually angry at you. Its more.. uh... personal stuff."

He didn't even need to convince her as she quickly turned and began a beeline for his cabin. He smiled dryly and followed after her without a word, even if he wasn't sure he'd tell his secret a second time that night.

When they were finally safely inside, she shut the door and pointed at a sofa by the fireplace as if to say "S_it_".

Nico obliged willingly and trudged over to it, glancing around on the way. Son to the God of riches he was indeed. Golden and other gem like colors patterned everywhere in fancy ways. The colors were toned down and pale, with cream and gray hues. Though in all honestly, Nico wasn't feeling rather rich at the moment.

He paused to light a fire and make the room appear more cozy before clambering tiredly to the sofa and plopping down. He watched the warm firelight that flickered across the walls and Reyna's serious face. It reminded him of when he and Will would sit around the campfire and chat.

Suddenly those two years of pent-up emotions spilled out. It was like an agonizing wait he could no longer hold. He told Reyna about Percy and his old crush on him, he told her of his new crush and how weird Will had reacted.

When he was all done his eyes were stinging and sore from the tears that threatened to spill out. But Nico wasn't about to give Cupid the satisfaction of seeing him cry over his heartache. He sniffed angrily and began to twirl his skull ring nervously. Reyna hadn't known of his sexual orientation before, but now she did. And he wasn't sure if she would accept or not.

"Well. It was about time," she said nonchalantly and nudged his shoulder in a playful way.

Nico looked up at her with surprise. "About.. time?" he asked stupidly.

"I mean... its one thing to go on without a girlfriend from the time your puberty piqued but... it's another to ignore the most beautiful Roman praetor to ever exist," she said lightly. It was meant teasingly and he knew it, but he could tell she was trying to be kind as well. Nico felt flustered at her reply, especially when she said that thing about puberty.

"Your not... going to be weird about it as well?" Nico asked sorely. After Will's reaction, he was sure if she would be understanding, or as cold as he had been. Apparently as much as Annabeth and Piper had assured him homosexuality was beginning to be accepted, it seemed the opposite for Nico. Painfully so.

"Why would I be upset? Gods, Nico," she laughed, then seemed to reconsider as Nico shot her daggers with his eyes. She sighed and continued carefully, "I mean... of course not. Nico... you shouldn't feel so down about it. I'm sure Will was just surprised. Actually, by the way you described it..." she trailed off with that twinkle in her eye and a smirk across her darker skin.

"What?" Nico asked. He felt calmer, but he was still strongly agitated. Reyna's all mysterious attitude wasn't helping any. What had he described? What was she talking about? It was driving him insane.

Reyna regarded him with pause, then shook her head. The action sent dark curls spilling over her shoulders as she replied, "Nothing. I'm sure it'll brighten up eventually. This is probably really hard for you, coming from the 1940's and all. I'm sorry." She was probably trying to assure him... though it wasn't helping any.

When his mood didn't let up, she continued with, "You know... I think you just need to unwind and rid of all your unwanted stress. You know... take a small break and get away from all that's troubling you. It wouldn't hurt, and who knows, maybe it'll blow over when you get back."

Nico glanced down at his hands and realized he had wrung them to the point of looking white. He took a few calming breaths and glanced up at her with a curious expression. It sounded like she already had an idea. "What did you have in mind?"

Reyna mused quietly, but Nico knew she was just giving dramatic pause. "Come and visit Camp Jupitor with me. I have a few sappy romance movies and some ice cream just calling your name," she said easily after a minute. "You can stay at my place if you want. It'd be like a mini-vacation."

And that was how Nico found himself spending a week at the Roman camp with Reyna.

It hadn't entirely appealed to him at first. He just didn't do sappy movies or cheesy pick up lines. He just knew he'd implode at a cliché coffee shop moment. And Gods forbid those unrelated love songs at the end.

But when he actually began watching them, he found himself enjoying comfort snacks and sniffling along with Reyna. It was probably his lowest of moments for him but... it gave him an excuse to let out all of his frustration and held back tears. That way if anyone saw and asked, he would say they were watching a very sad movie.

After an hour of conversations and catching, the lights went out and Nico curled up on a mattress Reyna had mysteriously pulled out. He tugged the warm blankets over his head and began to go over the horribly long day he'd had yesterday.

That was it. Nico finally decided after an hour of seething that he had hopelessly fallen for Will. The child of Hades was madly in love with the sun. How horribly poetic. So far, and so hard to reach. It was _cruel_. The child of death, sitting in the shadows, watching the Sun's brilliant light. He couldn't touch it. And he could most definitely not confess his undying love...

_Why can't romance be like those stupid movies_, Nico thought angrily to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Ouch. My back hurts from typing so much while slouching over. I felt like this chapter was rushed but... that may just be me. Sorry if its too short or not as eventful - pah - and sorry for my little puns. c;<strong>

**Ahhh! I love Reyna comforting him and everything, its just so darn cute.  
>Also, the next chapter will be about Will. It'll leave off with him watching Nico leave the infirmary. Yeeaaaaah. Then we can see what he was really thinking. Winkedy winkkkk.<strong>

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! And if you did, you should totally leave a review and stuff! Who knows, I could always make a little mini story based around Solangelo. Something more than a few cute and fluffy moments.**


	3. Or Leave me All Alone

**I apologize if Lou Ellen's appearance is nothing you imagined. I literally have no idea what she would look like, and a lot of people either said blond or brown so... I mixed and when with a light caramel color. I suppose her eyes would be misty green. I DONT KNOW. jhdvdfhb**

**Again, R&R. Please? I love hearing your guys' opinions on the story! c:**

* * *

><p>Will was fuming. He wouldn't be surprised if the whole infirmary around him caught on fire. But, despite his overly crappy attitude, he wore a calm and chilly face. His angry eyes did not once leave di Angelo's face as he watched the raven haired boy stare at him with a disbelieving expression. He was angry at <em>him<em>? Ohhh _Hades_, no.

He watched with a scowl as Nico stood up and angrily walked past Will to disappear into the dark night. He noted he still had his shirt pulled off, bare toned chest and all, but grunted as Nico pulled it on in one swift movement. Will couldn't help but scowl twice in a row at the group of Aphrodite girls swooning over the olive skinned boys rather nice - _no_. He would not be doing this again.

Nico was just a _friend_... right?

If he was just a friend, why was Will's stomach doing a painful number on him? It was like he'd swallowed a mouthful of lava and left it there. It was most certainly not a pleasant feeling. Actually, it felt like Will's dinner would make a reappearance any second. Which didn't make sense because... well, Will never got sick. Ever.

He quietly fumed over it for maybe about five minutes before finally calming down. Instead, he took deep calming breaths and looked down to study his hand. It was still tingling from touching Nico's skin, for whatever reason. But it wasn't unpleasant, like the horrible fire raging inside Will's chest. He didn't understand it. He didn't understand _any_ of it.

And Hades, when had Nico become so _attractive_? Yeah, Will would occasionally glance from time to time and... _inspect_ his patient. But he hadn't realized exactly how such a scrawny kid from two years ago became some sort of sexy mind stealing _God_.

As soon as Will saw Nico pull up his shirt and lift it over his head, Will couldn't help his persistent brain urging him to just _stare_. It was like Nico's chest had been a bright beacon of sunlight that screamed "_Hellooo, your trying to ignore me? Haha, have fun with that!_" You wanted to look away with all your might, but it was just too tempting.

Tempting. Tempting... T_empting_? Nico di Angelo. The always sulking and depressed boy who constantly got on his nerves? The stupid and annoying boy who wore horribly fashioned baggy and dark clothes? The dummy who always refused to wear his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt because it was too flashy?

Annoying? _Yes_. Daft? _Yes_. But tempting?

And what was with Will's sudden anger when Nico mentioned his crush on Percy? _Oh Gods_. There it was again, that tight feeling in his chest. It made him feel like he would die right on the spot. When Nico had mentioned it, some subconscious of Will's lit up bright red and gave off warning alarms. The only thing he could focus on was "_crush_" and "_Percy_".

His sexuality wasn't anything new to Will. That couldn't really bother him at all, to be honest. He'd see Nico checking out a few guys as the walked past after a long day of practice. Of course Will would check them out as well, because it was the best moment to. Guys would walk past the infirmary after a day of sparring, with their shirts all sweaty and clinging to their bodies. You couldn't just _not_ stare.

Heck, Will's sexuality wasn't anything new to him. He knew he preferred guys from the moment he could talk. So why had he been so phased by Nico's sudden confessing on liking Percy? _Percy Jackson_, of all people!

"Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to chase after him?" came a very agitated voice.

Will spun around in shock and stared at the shape that had magically appeared out of nowhere. A girl with piercing pale green eyes was eying him down with annoyance. Her caramel haired spilled over her shoulders in curly ringlets. Her mouth was drawn in a tight line, like she was annoyed about something. Of course, of all people, he would run into Lou Ellen.

It took a moment for him to process her words as he shook his head slowly. He was angry at Nico, and he just would not go running after the little brat. "No. No _way_. That kid is just so - ugh. I just don't understand him. No, that's not right. I don't understand either of us. He pisses me off to high heavens, but when he talks about others I just feel..." by the end of that sentence he was shaking his head so fiercely he was getting a headache.

"Calm down, tiger. I listened to the entire conversation - well, most of it, anyways. I came in when you and him were arguing about sharing, and then he told you about..." she cut herself off and glanced at Will warily. Then, continued in a more kind but fierce voice, "What in the name of Hades was that, anyways? Are you _trying_ to make yourself look like an idiot?"

Will spluttered indignantly at Lou Ellen, then angrily hissed out, "Its _his_ own fault. I mean what do I care if he has a crush on Percy or something?"

"Yes, Will, that makes me very curious. Why _do_ you care?" she shot back.

Will did not wish to indulge Lou Ellen's delirious state any further. So he simply did not reply. But he could feel his face burning more and more as the silence grew on. Her eyes were piercing, and he could feel her anger pulsating off in waves. He glared at the ground and wished it to just swallow him whole. If Nico were here, that would be entirely possible. _If Nico were here_...

"Gods almighty! You are _so_ stupid!" she gasped in exasperation.

He jumped at her insult and looked taken aback. But he couldn't honestly find a good argument against her accusation. Maybe he _was_ stupid. He had after all let his closest friend storm out of the hospital, looking all hurt and angry. And he had acted all distant when Nico probably would have expected comforting.

Will felt like he would throw up. He had seriously messed things up big time. And he couldn't help but irrationally think that maybe Nico wouldn't forgive him.

He stood up quickly and shot Lou Ellen one last seething glare, muttered a barley audible_ thanks_, and marched out into the inky black night. His eyes remained glued to the ground as he followed the familiar trail towards the Hade's cabin.

He glanced at the moon every so often and realized in surprise that it was well past Midnight. That didn't matter, though. He really needed to see Nico and assure him he hadn't meant any of it.

He stood at front of the door and knocked on it with a loud ferocity. Will probably woke up a few of the neighboring cabins with his insistent knocking, but he didn't care. Though when he heard the threatening sounds of the patrol harpies, he was forced to give up and grunt. Nico's lights were off, and his door was locked. Either he was sulking or sleeping - and the sleeping part was highly unlikely. Not only was Nico a night owl, but he would have woken due to Will's ruckus.

Instead of knocking, he hastily grabbed a piece of paper and pen. And he'd never concentrated so hard on trying to write a letter to someone. Ever. He flattened the paper against the door and furiously attacked it with the pen. He was surprised later when he inspected the door, expecting to see dull markings on it from his frantic writing. And even more was he surprised that he could actually read it. That is after seven times of trying.

It read:

_Dear Nico,_

_Don't think you can just disappear. I'm sorry and what I did was completely stupid. But your stupid too, Bonehead. Just please don't ignore me, okay?_  
><em>P.S I thought up this really thoughtful poem for you. But then I forgot about it. So just talk to me, okay?<em>

Will stared admiringly at his note, and then folded it up clumsily. His heart was thumping nervously as he shoved the note under the door and prayed to Apollo he would at least hear him out. Though he didn't entirely know what he'd say when Nico and him talked. Will had been pretty rude, and he wasn't sure himself why he had been. It all happened when he almost forcefully pulled Nico out of his shirt.

He inhaled deeply at the thought and attempted to banish the tinted color that spread across his chest and towards his face.

Ugh. He could feel a headache begin to form, so he tried to calm down the confusing whirlwind of thoughts and concentrate on his surroundings. _Inhale, exhale_.

When he could feel the painful throbbing subside, he let out a defeated sigh. Will scrunched up his freckled face and turned after one last glance back, before darting across the camp back to his own cabin. He was not ready to be caught by those stupid patrol harpies, it would totally cramp his style.

* * *

><p>Will was<em> furious<em>.

Each day he visited Nico's cabin. Each day he would bang on the door, scribble a note or an angry drawing of a face on it, then turn and leave. He did not like being ignored, and wasn't exactly ready to warm up to the idea of Nico ignoring him.

But when he heard nobody had seen Nico since their fight... that's when Will started to get worried. Had he been that angry that he would lock himself up and ignore eating for_ six whole days_? It hadn't been the first time he'd done that, to be honest.

Will's lips twitched in that threatening way when he was going to smile.

No. He scolded himself quickly and turned it back into his previous frown. He was mad at Nico for not talking to him, and he desperately needed to tell Nico how sorry he was. Nico had been Will's tether to the earth ever since the fight with Gaea.

Every day Will would tend to the wounded and forget about the simplest things. To eat at dinner, to rest his hands, or to even sleep. Nico had been the annoying but helpful voice in his head telling him when to do those. Whenever they had a small fight, Will would be thrown off balance and float aimlessly until they both admitted they were in the wrong. It was an endless cycle.

But that day's fight had been _different_. The tension between them was usually just normal tension, with just a hint of playfulness. But the fight that day... wasn't at all playful. It was definitely tense, however. But the tension was something else, it had been otherworldly. Something Will had never felt before. It was like a storm before the rain began to fall. You could hear the thunder crackling and feel the static of lightning. However, Will hadn't actually sensed the rain had fallen.

And Nico was never this angry at him. He never stayed away for more than two days, before he sulked over and they both blurted their apologies. And now it was the sixth day after the fight, around dinner time. His nights were sleepless with worry as he wondered if Nico was getting enough sleep or eat. Of course he wasn't eating, nobody had seen him sine their fight. Lou Ellen would glare harshly at him and rolled her eyes when he didn't respond. He didn't blame her spiteful stares, Nico's disappearance was after all his fault.

And not only that but Jason was seemingly angry at him as well. He shot electrifying — that was _not_ an understatement — glares at Will and would occasionally pat him on the back after sword practice, which was usually covered from bruises by Jason's doing. If he didn't know any better, he'd guess Grace was trying to kill him.

Will growled under his breath and sat sulkily at his brothers' and sisters' table. A long day after fighting the crazed Roman and archery practice and Will was beat. He hadn't even been able to check in on the infirmary.

He'd never felt this down before, and he was even so busy sulking he hadn't noticed everyone leave for the last training session of the day. Usually it was all smiles and rainbows, but every time he thought about that he would think of Nico.

No, not because of certain qualities, but because Nico hated anything bright. But he would remember their conversations and teasing arguments. He would always tease Nico in the mornings and point out stupid and obvious facts about sunlight. Or Nico would tease that if Will's smile got any brighter, they'd all burn up. It was usually just playful banter, and he missed it.

"If you stare at that grilled cheese any harder, I think it'll burn."

Will didn't even look up, just sank deeper onto the bench. He gave an annoyed glare at the grilled cheese, as if it was at fault. It sat on a plate in front of him, untouched and still steaming with heat. He hadn't touched it for about thirty minutes now and it still looked as nauseating as ever.

He was tired of Lou Ellen lecturing him, but now Cecil was? This was getting out of hand. "Maybe I _am_ trying to burn it."

"Will..." Cecil grumbled. Will could just imagine that his arms were crossed right now.

"Save your breath. I've heard the same thing from everyone, ten times a day for six days," Will snorted and waved his hand dismissively

Cecil gave a much more agitated grunt and punched him in the shoulder. Will flinched and yelped in surprise, looking up at his friend with bewilderment. "What the heck...?"

"You need a wake up call. And I'm willing to be the one to give it to you," Cecil stated matter-of-factually, like it was the most obvious thing ever. The son of Hermes rolled his eyes when Will continued to stare with a confused expression and elaborated. "Clearly your having a crisis right now."

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Care to explain on why you think that?" Will asked with building annoyance. He already knew that he had a crisis - one revolving around a certain son of Hades. But he wanted to know why Cecil was making such a big deal about it. He looked like he was annoyed, and Will couldn't find a reason for it.

When Will looked up, he grimaced at the smirk spreading widely across Cecil's face. It began to grow progressively as Will cast a glance around in a nervous manner. He nearly leaped out of his skin when Cecil began to speak again, this time in an embarrassed voice. It was much scarier than angry Cecil.

"Me and Lou have been talking. About a few things, and it involves... em. Well, it involves you and Nico," Cecil said while shuffling his feet awkwardly. "We think... well, your a bit confused," he finished. None of his words were making any sense, and Will didn't understand why his friend was acting so shifty.

"Confused...?"

"About you're feelings," he snorted in exasperation. For some reason Will felt his pride had been wounded. He knew his own feelings. Usually. Well, he knew them when it was clear. But when it was much deeper, he tended to get lost and mistake them for something else.

"I'm pretty sure I can tell when I'm happy or sad," Will snapped back. This conversation was going absolutely nowhere and he was tired and annoyed. No sign of Nico for a few days and that was enough to make his happy personality snap, just like that. His limbs ached. He just wanted to sleep.

"Clearly not. Me and Lou, we want you to be happy. But we see that the only way you can be happy is when you stop denying it," now Cecil sounded as annoyed as he had before. "Gosh, instead of being so dense, why don't you open your eyes for a second?"

"Denying what?" Will was now more confused than he was agitated. What was he denying himself? Sure he always denied that his father's attention meant nothing, when it actually did. But Cecil sounded like this was so blatantly obvious Will wouldn't have seen it without some guidance.

"That you obviously are head over heels for _Nico di Angelo_."

His face probably pulled many tricks. First he felt shocked, then appalled, embarrassed, and so on. Though he mainly felt very embarrassed. He'd always seen Nico as a highly attractive friend that you wanted but couldn't touch. And he had been fine with that. He'd never actually divulged into his fantasies or feelings, so in some way Cecil was right. He _was_ denying it. Subconsciously.

"I-I," Will finally spluttered after a few minutes of open mouthed shock. Thank Gods nobody had been around to hear Cecil's conclusion.

"C'mon. You check the guy out like twice a day. I just don't see how you, of all people, have failed to notice it," his friend shook his head and emphasized it with obnoxious — and childish, in Will's opinion — _tsking_ noises.

"Is it... that obvious?" Will asked nervously.

"Well when you get into fights, you make up almost instantly. Its like watching a slow motion drama where you two run into each others arms and all that. Kind of amusing," Cecil smirked cheekily. Apparently his goal had been to humiliate and embarrass Will beyond repair, and so far, it was working.

Maybe he did have feelings for Nico. He wasn't exactly sure. Behind all of that desperate want, he couldn't tell. But it would explain his unexplained panics when Nico went missing for a couple — _six_, to be exact — days and not return. Heck, he even worried when it was less than two.

And that night, in the infirmary...

Usually he would blow off the tingling touching sensations as his medical powers. But when he'd touched Nico for that long, he definitely knew it wasn't his abilities. Well, it was either that or Nico was seriously drunk and being electrocuted. That would only explain the fuzzy and static feeling.

And he suddenly felt like an idiot. Through all of his confusing turmoil of emotions he was feeling right now, he could now place a name to that burning sensation in his chest. That wretched feeling he never wanted to feel, ever again. Only ever had he experience it when Nico had explained his crush on Percy. Of course. It was_ jealousy_.

Will wanted to physically smack himself, but he decided not to. A few campers were giving him strange looks, and he realized he was making expressions at thin air. Cecil had long gone, probably out of boredom for waiting so long, and he was glaring up a storm at a column holding up the dining pavilion. So their fears of him being slightly insane were probably justified.

And, he decided to make the most rash decision right then and there. He needed desperately to tell Nico how sorry he was. Of course he wouldn't explain why he had acted that way, but he needed Nico to know he wasn't angry or upset with him. Gods, he'd probably acted like he was homophobic. That would have definitely ticked him off.

Just imagine, a kid from the early '40's, having strange feelings for another guy. He had probably wanted guidance and acceptance, not cold and distant.

Will found his feet taking him to the Herme's cabin. He poked his head inside to pinpoint two brown haired brothers experimenting with what looked like explosives. His brow furrowed curiously, but then he chided himself and shook his head. Whatever the Stoll brothers were doing, he wanted no part in it. Well, he only wanted _one_ thing, to be exact.

"Hey. Travis, Connor," Will called to them. He urgently needed their assistance. Like, _now_. Life or death and all that.

They looked at him expectantly, and he hastily explained himself and his plan. He would likely get into trouble, but it was better than using Greek Fire. The brothers were infamously known for their devious tricks and pick-pocketing, but he expected they would be his best bet to _lock picking_.

And so they trudged onward to the Hades cabin, now bathed in a orange colors as the sun began to dip behind the trees.

Will nervously glanced about for anyone, but they were all mostly either in their own cabins or showering after training. Like Will had expected, it was the perfect time to do this. If anyone were to see him trying to break into a cabin, he would definitely not be speaking to Nico.

He pointed silently to the darkly decorated cabin's door and waited while they did their magic. Who knows how they managed, but he heard a click and the successful high-fives before turning around and rushing forward. He dismissed them both with a wave of his hand and waited for them to walk away before shoving the door open to find - _nothing_.

Will's heart beat faster by the minute as he scanned the room to make sure there was absolutely no life to be found. He vigorously checked every corner, under the bed, and even in the bathroom. But all signs of life had vanished. The furniture looked somewhat dusty after six days of no use and he let out a frustrated growl.

His head scanned for anything else he might have missed. Besides his notes he'd painstakingly wrote lying and scattered across the wooden floor, there was nothing. He made his way over to a comfy looking sofa and slouched down in it to collect his erratic thoughts.

Had he been kidnapped? Had he run away? Oh _Gods_. Had he _shadow traveled_ away? The thought made his stomach clench, for whatever reason. Nico had definitely been healed from the big war with Gaea, but the thought of him doing his magic still made Will queasy. He didn't ever want to see the raven haired boy almost fade away, ever again.

Which made two annoying voices at the back of his mind chant, _Tolddd ya' soooo_.

It sounded suspiciously like Lou and Cecil's voice, snarky and sounding proud of themselves for realizing his feelings before he himself did. Okay, so maybe he did have a teeny tiny crush... no, a huge crush on Nico. Great. Neither of his friends would let him live up to it for _days_.

But the more he thought about it... the more he realized he'd felt like this for a while. It'd probably been that one day when Nico had spilled the antibiotic cream and they both reached to clean it but accidentally - yeah. That had to have been when his subconscious mind decided to crush on Nico, but leave Will's actual conscious mind out of it. But it wasn't like he could have him or anything.

Nico had said it himself, he had a crush on Percy. Just thinking about it made Will imagine little fiery fumes coming from his head. He couldn't stand it. Nico having a crush on someone else. Yeah, sure, he had confirmed Nico was attracted to guys. But he was attracted to buff, hero-y, heterosexual, and _idiotic_ guys apparently.

Will slouched even lower on the couch and closed his eyes in agitation, trying to calm his heart beat. His brain was irrationally telling him that Nico and Percy had probably snuck away to spend a romantic rendezvous with each other. The idea wasn't at all probably right, but it still pissed him off. He turned again to sulk even more and the matter.

And that's how Will found himself falling asleep, in the Hades cabin no less.

The couch had been cushy and he had been both emotionally and physically tired after a long day. Not to mention, Nico's intoxicating smell was literally everywhere. It was impossible to not fall asleep. Though Will wished he hadn't because his dreams were full of nightmares. Nightmares that seemed to rotate from Nico being killed by a blood thirsty monster, from Percy Jackson swooping in to save Nico from being _almost_ killed a blood thirsty monster.

* * *

><p>He woke with a start. Light was streaming in through the doorway, and his neck seriously hurt. He'd also heard a loud crash which had done the deed in forcing Will from his troubling dreams. He peeled open his blue eyes to squint at the harsh light. He usually welcomed it most mornings. But he technically had slept awkwardly on a couch in a dark and depressing cabin with nightmares all night. Light was far from his mind by now.<p>

But then his brain began to slowly register that the door was _open_. Which meant someone had opened it. Which meant somebody was standing in the cabin. Which meant... Will was probably in dire danger. From a monster, a camp counselor finding him here, or a friend finding him here, he didn't know which was worse.

Will instantly found his footing and prepared to karate chop whoever had intruded when he brought his hand to a halt. It lay two inches away from a baffled looking Nico di Angelo.

Physically, he felt his heart stop beating, his eyes widen, and his breathing halt. Mentally he screamed at himself to act cool and pretend he had blacked out here accidentally. Say something like "_Oh, why hello there_".

But he was stubborn. He straightened as Nico began to back up nervously. Will was now glaring hotly at the boy with arms crossed and foot tapping against the floor. He felt so many emotions at once, it was crazy. Anger, fear, embarrassment, surprise... and the list went on. But he mostly felt angry. He'd spent six days worrying over Nico, and there he stood. It was Nico's cabin, but still. He was suddenly here, of all times.

"Six days," Will said. He was shaking on the inside, but his face was still, his voice low and deadly calm.

"W-well I u-um. W-what are you doing... in... my...?" Nico trailed off in a stuttering mess. Will clearly had the element of surprise here.

"Where have you been?" he ordered, ignoring the question.

"A-away," came Nico's retort.

"For six days? And you didn't even bother to _tell_ anyone? Or _me_?"

Nico looked flustered, adorably, and began to wave his hands in exasperation. "We fought and I was upset, and then Reyna was visiting. She invited me to stay at Camp Jupiter and I took the offer. What'd you think I'd do? You really hurt my-"

Will surged towards him with an unreadable expression. Nico had probably expected him to punch him in the face. Or maybe he'd expected him to storm out and slam the door. But no, Will's body refused to do either, even if he considered it. Actually, all he wanted was to make sure ever inch of Nico was unharmed and fine. So he did the one thing he'd been wanting to do for the past week.

Will stomped over to the aghast and shaken looking son of Hades and wrapped him in a giant hug, never mind Nico's hate of contact. Honestly all he wanted to do was never let go of Nico. Make sure that he wouldn't ever leave again.

"Don't you ever, _ever_, do that again. I swear on the River Styx if you ever try to pull something like this again, I will personally hunt you down, drag you back, and strap you up in the infirmary. Gods, what were you_ thinking_?" All of Will's anxieties seemed to gush out all at once. Despite the craving need to caress Nico's face. That would be more unwelcome than his sudden hug.

He could feel Nico stiffen like a rock, then begin to squirm desperately. Though he seemed to give up in defeat and attempt to press as far away from him as possible. That was upsetting, but Will didn't really care. "You were... worried?"

"No, idiot, I was downright happy. What do you think?" Will snapped and let him go reluctantly. He felt like he could cry at any second. It wouldn't be very manly or attractive, and it would be harder to explain, on top of all his apologies. So he decided to ignore the burning sensation and - _wait_.

_Appologies_! he suddenly seemed to remember. Will ignored Nico as he opened his mouth to say something and cut him off with, "I'm so sorry! Nico I seriously was acting weird in the infirmary, and I have no excuse or reason behind it. I really was tired that evening-" that wasn't a lie, entirely "-and you sharing your secret took me by surprise. I'm not anti-homosexual or anything, I swear. I support it like one hundred percent. In fact, its actually pretty funny cause I swing that way too."

By the end of it he felt out of breath and nervous. He always babbled when he got like this, but it was important that Nico know all of this.

But Nico just smiled. It looked a little awkward and forced though, and that concerned Will. Nico looked as if he would throw up, actually, so he continued, "I don't care if you have crushes or anything, that's really fine. I have one as well, so its all good, okay?"

Apparently he'd said the wrong thing though, because Nico's smile disappeared and his jaw tightened. What had Will said this time to upset him? All he wanted was for Nico to accept and for them to be friends again. Every fiber in his body screamed for them to be friends again.

Though the expression quickly vanished and he saw Nico shrug awkwardly. "I wasn't going to stay mad for long," he muttered in annoyance. "I was just stressed, and our... argument set it all off. I would have told you but last I remembered, you had ordered me out into the dark. After I confessed something really important to me, and that hurt."

Will knew Nico wouldn't have had trouble with the whole being shut out in the dark thing. But the way he spoke made it sound like he was really hurt, and that made Will's chest constrict and his heart twist. He didn't like hearing Nico sound like that.

He jumped however when Nico continued.

"But I forgive you. As much as you did piss me off, I had six whole days to clear my head. Well, that and my brain was invaded by weird sappy movies, but that's besides the point. I won't hold a grudge against you because you obviously look beyond sorry. But I hope we never have to go through this again," Nico finally finished. His voice was distant and cold, but he sounded genuine.

Will was a little baffled by the fact that Nico had watched sappy movies, whatever they had been, but didn't linger on it. Right now he was just glad they'd finally made up to an understanding. So he found himself engulfing the idiotic kid in another tight hug.

Even if Nico like Percy, and even if Will had to live with the painful jealousy, it was fine. Because if he couldn't have a relationship with the guy, at least they were plain old friends again. Well... they seemed to be on and off friends, instead of normal ones. Maybe they were frenemies. No matter, though. Will could not deny the fact that despite his heartache, he was undeniably happy.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, sweet, sweet misunderstandings. Mwahahaa.<strong>

**They are still pretty oblivious though. And they still don't understand each others' feelings quite that much. c;  
>Like Nico thinks - ahem. Never mind. You'll just have to wait for the next chappy.<br>Also this wasn't as long but... I feel pretty satisfied, if not a little.**

**Next chapter will be the finale, and you bet your bottoms dollar this will be the best and last one!  
>And possibly a little bit more of jealous Will. And jealous Nico. STAY TUNED! :D<strong>


	4. And All was Golden with The Sky

**If any of you know that I was using lyrics from the song "When The Moon Fell In Love With the Sun" by P!ATD then I applaud you.**

**Last chapter, guys. The big moment [ you know what I mean c; ]. This actually makes me really sad though, because I thoroughly enjoyed creating this story. And I got so much positive feedback, it made me really happy. ;v;**

**Thanks for stickin' with the story, those of you who did. Still, R&R to point out if I made any mistakes, etc. I might create a actual Solangelo story one day. Who knows.**

* * *

><p><em><span>- setting it up -<span>_

Cold floor pressed through Will's shirt as he stared up at the ceiling with an exceptionally bored expression. The freckled blond had decided to stay at camp for the entire year around and camp life was particularly low. And no, he didn't happen to be here because of a certain Nico di Angelo. Or maybe he was. He never knew with his emotions when it came to the raven haired guy, anyways.

Whenever it came to Nico and his feelings for the son of Hades, Will felt like a ticking time bomb. One day it would just go off and there would be no stopping it. Though the thought of it wasn't so scary after a few months of some serious crushing. But the impending threat of loosing a good friend of his kept him at bay. Besides, Nico apparently still liked Percy.

And whenever he would spot the stupid dark haired kid walk around Nico or talk to him, Will had to grit his teeth in silence and prayed to Apollo he would leave soon. Though there was no denying Percy seeing Nico at the party for Nico's birthday today. Will sunk lower into his seat at being reminded and let out a long groan of annoyance.

Nico was turning eighteen today, and he had invited all of his friends. So of course he had invited Percy Jackson. Will's blood boiled at the thought of having to spend the entire night in a closed room with him. Especially when Nico was also in that same room. Ever since Nico's little trip to Camp Jupiter, Will had felt out of sorts. Not only with his feelings, but with Nico. There was definitely something else lurking in the air now.

It was like some silent understanding had passed over the both of them; though Will didn't know exactly what _Nico's_ understanding was. He knew his was definitely that Nico liked Percy. He couldn't deny his best friend and crush's feelings, but could only sit back and watch as horrendous slow motion scenes of their flirting unfolded. Or... it wasn't exactly flirting, and more awkward pats on the back. But still, it was considered to be flirting to Will.

Will let out another loud huff and drew his hands to his face. He tried to calm the dull aching signs of a headache by rubbing it thoroughly. Whether he liked it or not, he was stuck with all these unfortunate circumstances. He just wished there was some way to convince Nico that Will was the one he liked.

"Will, are you going to sit there and pout all night?" came a sudden voice. "We have stuff to plan and get ready, I'll remind you."

Will's heart did a little flutter, the way it did when he was caught off guard by Nico. He half turned to stare at the boy who had magically appeared out of nowhere. Or maybe he had been too caught up in his thoughts to notice him.

"And why are you lying on the floor?" he asked with confusion as he sauntered over and offered a hand for help.

"I don't know. Just being bored to death is all," Will replied.

Considering touching Nico was always asking for an electric wave, Will took it anyways. He enjoyed the little tingling sensations their skin made upon impact. It made him feel like there actually was something under all of the teasing and witty remarks. Like that little jolt was a reminder that they were friends. Or it was a reminder that Will desperately craved more contact, and something a little _more_ than friends.

When he was stable and on his feet, he heard Nico give a gruff noise and move away, thus diminishing the close proximity of their bodies. He felt a surge of disappointment, but pushed it away. Maybe he could worm some secrets out of Nico. Find out why he liked Percy, someone who had a girlfriend, and possibly even who is ideal guy would be. Then he could also maybe sneak in a few flirtatious remarks. Yeah, that sounded brilliant.

"C'mon. I still need to decorate the place with a few skulls," came Nico's amused and tasteless joke.

Will wrinkled up his nose and silently thanked Hades for making his son so attractive. It made up for his horrible taste in dark colors and sense of humor, after all. And his fixation with death. Though part of him secretly liked that side of Nico. The mysterious, almost rebellious and sulking nature that always seemed peeked through. Most of the time though, Nico was smiling a lot more. Three years of Will-therapy and _viola_.

And speaking of attractive, was it just Will, or was Nico looking extra handsome — technically he could be called that now — today? Will surveyed him like a predator would its prey, taking in every detail with avid hunger. They way his black, slightly ripped jeans hugged his legs. Almost enough to show off a few assets, but not enough to fuel the imagination; which irked Will beyond belief.

Next he raked his gaze towards the upper body. Nico had fine tuned into a rather attractive guy. He had cut his long and feather hair, to Will's disappointment, but it had soon been taken back when he took a hard look at everything. With the hair out of the way, Will could literally see every feature of his face. His jaw, which was angular and a little pointed. The way his dark onyx colored eyes seemed to glint with humor or emotion. He'd never noticed that before, and now he was so glad he had. Nico secretly thanked the haircut he'd received. Nico's hair was feathery as usual, but it had calmed down a bit more and was piled atop his head into a windswept look. The father down it traveled, the short it got.

He was shaken out of his little once-over though when Nico disappeared from view. With one movement Will was following Nico out of the door and towards the Hades cabin. It had a few toned down balloons outside — Hazel's idea, apparently — that Nico was none too happy about. Even if they were pallid colored, he still despised them. Said that they made things seem to happy. Will begged to differ.

He smiled in amusement as the complaint he'd expected to hear rolled out with a sharp guffaw of anger. "I love Hazel and all but... come on. I'm just not a balloon kind of guy. It looks..."

"...weird? Strange? Like a sore thumb?" Will finished in questions as they climbed the steps. He reached out to prob a balloon with a wrinkle of his nose. Honestly, it just made the place look even more out of place. Which was bad, since according to Nico, it was already out of place enough.

Once they were inside the cabin, the both surveyed the decorations and then looked at each other. Nico looked a tad defensive and exclaimed, "I'm not that great at decorating party stuff."

"Obviously," Will snorted playfully. His lips pulled into a smirk as he glanced about the room and found a few strangely decorated things. Like, for instance, the disco ball which Jason had insisted be put up was sitting on the floor. Laughter erupted from him and he shook his head in amazement.

"Hey! Don't laugh. Nobody told me where to put any of the stuff, so I just figured..." Will saw Nico slouch from the corner of his eye and managed to stifle the laughter and bite his lip.

"That's what I'm here for, 'Bones," Will chimed in cheerfully.

"Oh boy. You're not going to cover the walls with cutout suns, are you?" Nico asked flatly. Though when Will looked at him, he realized the retort was genuinely horrified. He could just imagine little yellow suns decorated across the walls. Actually... a little sunlight in the place wouldn't be all that bad. But it wasn't Nico's _style_, apparently, so he shook his head.

"Nah. I'll straiten a few things and set out some more decor. Also, while I do all that, you should fix the disco ball. Its supposed to hang from the ceiling," Will replied and pulled up his sleeves. "Lets get to work then, shall we?"

Nico nodded silently and they shuffled about the room. Other than a few snarky remarks about how he'd placed things or something completely irrelevant, they were comfortably silent. Actually, it had been the most non-tense moment since the whole vanishing act thing.

That is, until Nico fell. Well technically he stumbled and almost fell, but still. It had pretty much broken the peace of things.

Will had turned to check on Nico just in time as the ladder he was using began to wobble. The disco ball was securely in place, but for whatever reason, the ladder had other plans for Nico. Panic rushed through him when he saw him totter backwards while waving his hands for balance in a surprise motion.

He rushed forward as quickly as he could and was met with a surprised puff of air and cold floor. After a few seconds, Will finally dared to open and eye and peer at - nothing. Actually, his vision was obstructed by feathery black hair. It tickled his nose and he sniffed a few times to get it out of the way. Though the whole '_Nico's hair in his face thing_' didn't register until Nico let out an awkward sound.

It had sounded half strained, half gasped as Will stared in surprise. Nico's back was pressed snugly to Will's chest, while Will's back was pressed firmly against the floor. His arms had instinctively wrapped around the other boy's abdomen as he toppled over in an effort to save him, and it turned out to have worked. But the strange predicament they were in right now didn't give Will any time to relish the close contact.

Nico was up as soon as Will's grip loosened, and Will silently chastised himself for letting go of his steely grip so soon. Heat spread across his face, but he pushed it back and got to his feet as well, turning and ignoring to look Nico in the eye. Things like this would always happen. There would be a peaceful atmosphere, until one of them inflicted some sort of innocent — or occasionally not so innocent — body contact. Then the peace would turn into tense awkwardness.

He heard Nico climb up the ladder again and mumbled a quiet, "Careful," before continuing to straighten the cushions that were already straightened enough.

The tension slowly died down though and Will could feel his previously quickened heartbeat calm dramatically. Nico had finished the disco ball and was stringing up the last few streamers when they turned to smile with satisfaction at each other. The room was complete with all the birthday decorations you'd expect. Except it didn't quite look like Nico's style. Will pursed his lip thoughtfully.

Suddenly he got an idea. "I know!" he exclaimed excitedly and disappeared into the little storage unit. He smirked mischievously as his eyes lay upon a white stick-figured looking stage prop from the Halloween boxes. Will returned with it in his hands and saw Nico's eyebrows raise and a smile slowly spread over his face.

Nico came forward and grabbed it, then placed it on the windowsill.

A single beam of sunlight filtered through the glass, catching the skeleton and causing little odd shadows on the floor. It strangely caused Will to smile as he dusted his hands off and let out a loud breath. "Perfect. I honestly think we're ready for you're birthday."

"Obviously. I don't think it could get any more birthday-e," Nico stated with his eyes giving a quick sweep around the room. "And if it did, I think I'd turn a whole five years older."

Will snorted and rolled his eyes as he began to take the snacks out of the proper compartments and placed them on the table. Some chips, a cake of course, a few more snacks and desserts, and for drinks there was some soda's and water.

He stood back to admire their work before casting a glance outside the window. Probably a few more hours until the guests arrived. Which only made Will's stomach twist in an angry way. Would Nico wish to spend all his time with Percy? His thoughts clouded increasingly with more and more of _Percy this_ and _Percy that_. Honestly, if he wasn't so jealous of him, it would seem that he had a crush on him instead of Nico.

His mood turned from happy to brooding in an instant as he sat on the couch to wait for whatever was to come.

* * *

><p>Nico gave Will a once over, concern concealed behind his nonchalant face. Will had been acting strangely ever since he'd returned from his visit with Reyna, and it was bothering him. The usually playful attitude and happy go lucky guy was more reserved and... <em>tense<em>. His throat constricted as he remembered their conversation a few months back, and how he had attempted to smooth his ruffled feathers.

And by doing that, he'd both simultaneously let his hopes soar and then get crushed flat. He was, in fact, interested in guys. But it turned out he was interested in _someone else_. Nico's stomach twisted painfully with jealousy and hurt. It was like Percy all over again. He didn't want to go through with it. Maybe he should tell Will about _everything_.

The thought made him shudder with fear and desire. He wanted to lay it all out on the table, to tell Will how he felt and get it over with already. Maybe Will would understand and they could still be friends. That's honestly all Nico hoped for.

He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair before taking a seat next to Will on the comfy couch. His eyes darted to peek at him, and he cozied in deeper. It was settled then. He would tell his best friend possibly the most highest costing information he guarded with his_ life_. And once Nico's mind had been set, there was no turning back.

* * *

><p><span><em>- and the rain falls down -<em>

They all arrived one after the other. All of them carried gifts and placed them beside Nico's bedside before turning to start into a hug, then end in an awkward pat on the shoulder. That at least made Will happy, seeing as Percy only punched Nico's shoulder playfully. He watched with sharp eyes as he led Annabeth — now his fiance — towards the fireplace. That must have been a rough blow on Nico.

But when Will glanced at Nico, he didn't look hurt. He looked happy. He smiled after the two, gave a sigh, and angled his stare in his direction. Will instantly reined in his surprise and padded over with hands stuffed in his jean pockets. "Is turning eighteen everything you've ever wanted?"

Of course it was a tease, but Will saw a smile wider than anything Nico had ever pulled before spread over his olive toned skin. It did a number on his heart and sent his stomach, along with many emotions, on a wild roller coaster. He'd never seen that smile on his face before. And that twinkle in his eyes... Will felt his insides turn to goop and had to suppress the urge to give him a little kiss.

But Will managed with an equally wide smile and raised an eye. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, but clearly it wasn't. He sounded nervous and happy at the same time - as if he was anticipating something exciting to come.

That made Will increasingly curious. His brows furrowed together in bewilderment as he watched Nico walk away to go mingle with Hazel, Frank, and Reyna. They were all huddled in a group of four, snickering, teasing, and making merry of the party. But he was jolted out of his thoughts when a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder.

"I haven't see him smile like that in a very, _very_ long time." Oh Gods almighty. _Percy Jackson_ was standing behind him, giving him an approving stare. Will's feelings twisted with conflicting emotions. Should he retort or should he - wait... what had he said? And his surprise only grew when he added in a genuine, "You must be a_ really_ great person to make him act that way."

Will was taken aback. _He_ was great... for making Nico act that way? His brows furrowed in confused zeal and he glanced at the little group of four now. Nico was definitely smiling, but when he glanced at Will the smile deepened just a tad. Though he rationalized sadly it must be because Percy was standing next to him. His stomach churned coldly and he forced a nonchalant shrug. "He's really important to me, so I try the best I can..."

Okay, that was intentionally going to be genuine, but it turned into more of a threat. Will's voice had lowered a few octaves and he'd fixed Percy with a narrowed gaze. He wanted the retired hero to understand Will had no intention of giving up on the raven haired boy. Not to some fish loving water guy. No _way_.

But Percy didn't seem fazed. His eyes widened with delight and he let out a loud and obnoxious laugh. It was even a bit much for Will's taste, and that was saying a few things. Percy gave him a pat on the back and winked once before walking quickly over to Annabeth and whispering in her ear. They were both smiling, smiling at him and Nico. What in Apollo's name were they saying?

Instead of fixating on Percy though, he directed his attention to the other side of the room. Four more people were gathered, talking up a storm and laughing. Leo and his girlfriend Calypso — who arrived on a blazing bronze dragon after _months_ of nothing — stood beside Piper and Jason. Probably sharing love stories and all that. He sniffed and decided he should go and talk to Nico. He felt a little out of place at the party, and wanted to stick with the one person he knew well.

But when he walked over, the Romans flanked off to go and mingle with the others, leaving him and Nico alone. Nico gave another nervous smile and watched them leave with a sigh. He actually sounded _really_ nervous, to put it lightly. What was he up to?

Will decided he'd find out later though and cleared his throat. "Hey uh... can we talk? Outside?"

"What?" Nico looked suddenly very surprised, and very flustered. His eyes had widened so it was easy to define the colors of his iris, and his face reddened to light pink. That was definitely a first. He'd never caught Nico by surprise, ever.

Though Nico began to take on an annoyed air when Will stood there for a few long moments of silence and said, "Well?"

"R-right," he mumbled, walking out the door and waiting for Nico to follow.

He pushed into the crimson colored light as the sun began its decent into night. Will squinted at the beams of light, and then turned towards Nico with a nervous expression. His hands were clenching and unclenching into fists; a bad habit of his when nervous. "I have a question."

"Yeah?" Nico sounded confused now.

It took a lot of willpower to not turn tail and flee, and took a lot of willpower to stand there and gather his thoughts. He needed to talk to Nico and straighten things out. It was the perfect moment, and he couldn't take another agonizing moment of the fiery jealousy or the fluttering of butterflies. He needed to _know_.

"Why do you have a crush on Percy?" Will blurted.

Nico seemed to splutter and choke on thin air. His face turned pale and he stared at Will with a wide and incredulous expression. "W-what? Will what in the - are you being serious right now? _Do you feel sick_?"

"I mean I know he's like a hero and everything. I get that. And he's cute, not sexy or anything of the sort, but attractive I guess. I just don't understand why you'd torture yourself with liking someone who is engaged?" Will finished with a flustered expression. He could feel his heart thumping madly against his ribs.

Nico now looked concerned as he eyed Will up and down before replying, "I'm serious. Did you get a concussion? Are you sleep deprived again? Do you need me to take you to the infirm-"

"Please just answer me," Will asked desperately. And his expression had obviously been pleading enough because Nico's shoulders suddenly fell in defeat. He continued to drag his gaze away nervously before peeling it back to me. They now held a serious light that caused ripples of cold to spill down Will's spine.

"I don't know where you even got that idea. I said I _used_ to have a crush on him, confessed me old feelings and cleared the air, remember?" Nico was fixing Will with a narrowed gaze of utter bewilderment. "I _had_ a silly crush on the guy who saved my life - _so what_?"

Will's eyes widened and he suddenly felt very, very stupid. He shifted his weight and felt his heart beat calm down. Well, at least he didn't like him anymore. But that still left Will stranded and in the dark. He needed to confess his feelings, otherwise he would explode. Like literally. He would catch fire and explode - ka_boom_.

"Why do you even care, anyways?" Nico suddenly asked in a low growl.

"I-I don't...know... uh..."

Will started in surprise. Why had he...? Right. He'd gotten lost in so many thoughts that he'd forgotten about the whole confessing stuff. His eyes skimmed Nico's face for anything at all, but all he found was a cold and curt look. What had happened to that twinkling smile?

"Well, what is it then?" he said dryly. His lips were pressed thin as he fixed Will with a cold glare and continued harshly with, "Maybe you should be worrying over your crush rather than me

Now it was Will's turn to be absolutely confused. Crush...? Nico...? His eyes widened and he opened his mouth in surprise. Had Nico thought he'd liked someone else all along - wait. Wasn't that what Will had done as well? He closed his mouth and scrunched his nose in annoyance an replied, "I didn't say _who_ I liked, Nico. For all you know it could be Cecil..." he gave a pause, and then tried, "...or it could be_ you_."

Nico's cold face fell to shock and his eyes fixed on Will's with a sudden burning intensity.

Will inhaled a shuddering breath and took a hesitant step away, not sure if he could control himself with Nico giving such an intense and utterly irresistible expression. Though as soon as he retreated, Nico followed his own footfall in taking a step forward. _What was he doing_?

Now Will could feel his heart thrumming wildly in his chest. There it was, that heavy and tense atmosphere again. Like a very large rain cloud ready to give way. He suddenly felt his lips become to dry, felt his throat become to parched. Will hadn't realized he was still backing up until his back bumped into the wall of the Hades cabin. The light was now faint, and a few stars began to peek through the horizon.

But Will couldn't pay attention to any of it. Because in that moment Nico had closed the little distance left and leaned down. His heart beat quickened, thumping even madder than before. It was as if it were trying to escape his chest, and at any moment, would burst from it.

His breath hitched when he felt Nico's familiar tingly touch press to Will's cheek. The next hand came to cup the other cheek. His hands pressed more firmly as Nico began to tilt Will's head back Will's lips parting instinctively. The tense air crackled with lightning as they surveyed each other for a few more long moments before it happened.

Just like that, the rain broke.

Nico was bending forward at one point, lips gently brushing Will's for permission, before they pressed against his own more firmly. His face spread with a familiar heat, and a warmth began to build inside of his stomach. He melted into the kiss, glad that Nico had him trapped against the wall and his own arms. Will had literally expected he would have to make the first move, not the other way around.

A throaty half groan, half sigh was pulled from Will's vocals before he could stop it. He couldn't feel anything but Nico. His lips, the rise and fall of his chest, the thumping of his own heart. He could feel Nico's hands slip around his head to firmly lock themselves in his hair. His lip quivered with protest as the quickly escalating kiss was pulled from his grasp.

Nico let out a little whispering, half whimpering, "Will?"

Will was confused at first by the worry in Nico's voice, but suddenly realized he'd been shaking. Oh Gods. He felt so nervous and all of his emotions began to jumble together again. He brought a few fingers to his own lips and traced them with amazement, before reaching forward slowly and tracing Nico's own lush looking lips. "You just..."

"Yeah," came Nico's breathless reply. Will glanced up and searched his expression, searched his body language. He couldn't always decipher Nico's emotions, but on the rare chance he could, he took it. His eyes glinted with hunger and curiosity, pinning Will's own eyes. His cheeks were flushed and his breathing was a little unsteady, as well as his heart rate.

"Can we...?" Nico began hesitantly.

Will's heart did a summer-salt at Nico's half formed question. Not because he was asking for permission, but because his voice was tortured with so much longing and want. It echoed everything Will had been trudging through for the last few months. But Nico's longing sounded leke he'd wanted it for much longer. His heart thundered loudly in his ears now as he nodded a soundless reply.

And just like that Nico's lips were pressed to Will's again. This time there were more demanding, though still held a gentle touch to them. Will pressed back into it and trapped Nico's lip between his teeth, pulling, biting, and searching for more contact. They pressed tightly together, their heat mixing. It felt so good, Will felt as if he would melt all over again. Not to mention the lovely friction going on much, much lower.

Their bodies were fighting each other for dominance, and it was driving them both crazy.

He pressed his hands lower to trace little shapes underneath Nico's shirt, only breaking the kiss for gasps of air. He felt Nico's head dip down to the bend in his neck. He felt teeth nibble on the sensitive skin, causing a sharp gasp to pull from Will's lungs. Nico repeated this a few times, tracing his tongue lazily over his collarbone, before peppering little kisses all around Will's jaw and neck.

He nearly protested in annoyance when he felt him pull back to fix him with a mischievous glint in his eye. Nico said in a low, teasing voice, "I hope your crush won't be too jealous..."

Will shuddered and pulled him closer for another long, heated kiss. His arms instinctively wrapped themselves around Nico's neck. He pulled him in closer and let out a breathless and cheeky laugh before murmuring back, "Trust me. He's enjoying this_ immensely_."

There was a grunt of agreement before more passionate kisses followed.

* * *

><p>Nico brushed into the room, keeping closely connected to Will. His hand was wrapped tightly around the son of Apollo's hand, as if he feared he would slip from his grasp. He wouldn't ever let that happen, not ever. Not after those kisses, and definitely not after all of those years of waiting finally payed off. He felt a small smile slip over his face and dragged his eyes over the party guests.<p>

They were all eying them with interest. Nico felt his entire face flush red when Percy and Reyna both flashed a thumbs up. Gods, could they have been any more ridiculous? And Hazel was smiling fondly, though fanning herself in exasperation. Nico glanced in the direction she was staring and realized he'd given Will a hickey on his neck. Though his face tinted pale pink, his mouth pulled into a proud smirk and he pulled the blond closer.

The next hour of opening presents managed passed quickly. He was so happy to have all of his friends near him, and not to mention, Will sitting closely next to him. He opened a few presents, some of which made him roll his eyes. A few were jokes, and he felt very embarrassed when he opened a present from Percy. A whole stack of Mythomagic cards lay neatly in a box. He let out a shrill cry and shot an icy glare at his friend, who nonchalantly acted as if nothing were wrong.

And when he opened the last of the gifts, everyone began to filter out tiredly. Soon after they had all left, he turned to Will, who had given him a few gifts that were mainly jokes. For instance he had received some paper cutout suns — don't even ask Nico when Will had the time to do that, because _Hades knows_ — and fixed him with a raised brow. "Your not going to be giving me anything sentimental?"

"Well... I was pretty convinced me kissing you senseless was all it took," came Will's snickering retort.

Nico snorted and rolled his eyes, and leaned forward to better see his expressions. "I don't think that's how it was, as I recall. Besides, you're the one with the hickey..."

Nico effectively smiled widely in amusement as Will pressed a hand to his neck in embarrassment and surprise. Though it changed slowly to flustered, then to mischievous. Nico narrowed his eyes now at the new look. That look _never_ bode well.

"I suppose I'll just have to pay you back then..."

"Not a chance, _Solace_."

"Pa. I guess we'll just have to see then, _di Angelo_, " Nico heard him mumble and lean forward. Nico's heart rate quickened as Will pressed him to the floor and fixed his own lips with a warm and toe curling kiss. Two could play at that game...

* * *

><p><strong>I tried to initiate more conversation between them, because I noticed that not a lot of my stories have long conversations. xD<br>So yeah. There are still cripplingly long descriptions of emotions and details, but I also added some bantering chatter and whatnot. c:  
><strong>

**Mhm... this is the end so I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing. I could always write a short little summary of their life ahead, if wanted.  
><strong>

**I liked the transition of times, as well. Nico kind of went from brooding to slightly less brooding and much more mature. And Will turned even more so dense, arrogant, and cheeky. Hehe.**

**Also, if you ask me, I definitely see Will being on the bottom. /slap**


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